Author: jessdager

It’s SPRING! It’s a few weeks past Valentine’s Day! It’s relationship time on campuses all over the world! Supporting women in relationships is one of the joys of being on the campus. How many meetings have you had in the last few weeks where a girl has spilled the beans about a crush, a date, a deepening friendship, or an impending proposal? I just LOVE … Continue reading Is he a good “Yoke-Sharer”?

Come, Thou long expected JesusBorn to set Thy people free;From our fears and sins release us,Let us find our rest in Thee. If I’m honest, the tune we are humming around here is … Come, Thou long expected college… Our oldest is a junior in high school and we are knee deep in ACT prep courses, college visits, and spreadsheets. To keep with our Advent … Continue reading Advent Series: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

I’ve shared before on this blog about the difficulty I have with Christmas. It’s the time of year I feel most acutely how dysfunctional my extended family is – the estrangements, the alcoholism, the uncomfortable communication. Well, that is true, but actually, Christmas growing up could sometimes be a very joyful time for me. My parents and grandparents always did Christmas big. I mean BIG. … Continue reading Advent Series: An Introduction

Here’s a list of things my neighbors routinely see me doing… Carrying 10 bags of groceries into the house by myself in one trip, despite the fact that my husband and children are all home and happy to help. Racing in and out of the neighborhood to drive my kids to and from school, despite the fact that other families in my neighborhood also go … Continue reading I’ve Got It

Most summer nights, Ben and I walk after supper. Recently, he casually mentioned he’d started working on his first talk for Nav Night on evangelism. When he said the word, “evangelism” I confess I kinda tuned out. It’s an area that makes my stomach hurt. It’s part of training women that is hard to do as a mom. Every fall it lands on my list … Continue reading Spurring on Evangelism

During my first year on staff (1996!) with The Navigator’s Eagle Lake Camp, we did a Bible study as a staff team on prayer. We spent months studying the scriptures together on the topic and as a type of capstone event, we invited Lorne Sanny to come and speak to our group. I had already had the privilege of hearing Mr. Sanny speak a few … Continue reading I Know Less Now: Lessons from Lorne Sanny on Prayer

The passing of Jim Downing and then Billy Graham has stirred up some anxiety in me. Their loss is a bit destabilizing. While they were alive there was a sense that the “grandfathers” of the faith were still here, leading us by their example, passing on their wisdom and counsel. I’ve always been a nostalgic person. Years ago The Navs had a video where amazing … Continue reading A Different Time

A few weeks after Ben and I arrived on our first campus we packed up our kids, who were ages 2 and 1 at the time, and headed to our Fall Conference. As we pulled up to the campground, Ben was whisked off to the opening meeting while I stumbled around with my flashlight trying to turn the heat on in our freezing cabin and … Continue reading Expectations: Where do I Fit?

Well, it happened. My oldest turned on the Christmas music a few days ago and songs of the season started up full blast in my kitchen. And I’m one of those people who instead of smiling and humming along, winces. Christmas is a difficult holiday for me. Songs, movies, commercials – they all paint idyllic pictures of happy families gathered around beautifully decorated tables having … Continue reading When Holidays are Hard

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 says, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” And my heart always adds a little tag line, “And when … Continue reading Should I Stay or Should I Go? – Family Friendly Ministry Events